Parallax mapping

Parallax mapping (also called offset mapping or virtual displacement mapping) is an enhancement of the <a href="/facts/Bump_mapping/c97rLmK6">bump mapping</a> or <a href="/facts/Normal_mapping/7YmzxkPp">normal mapping</a> techniques applied to <a href="/facts/Texture_mapping/9gDTsuXN">textures</a> in 3D <a href="/facts/Rendering_(computer_graphics)/YYxfnmAq">rendering</a> applications such as <a href="/facts/Video_game/vmTdNASJ">video games</a>. To the end user, this means that <a href="/facts/Texture_mapping/9gDTsuXN">textures</a> such as stone walls will have more apparent depth and thus greater realism with less of an influence on the performance of the simulation. Parallax mapping was introduced by Tomomichi Kaneko et al., in 2001.
Parallax mapping is essentially a method by which rough or uneven surfaces on a 2D texture can be "pulled out" to take on the appearance of a 3D surface. Technically, this is implemented by displacing the texture coordinates at a point on the rendered <a href="/facts/Polygon/xvkmYhvG">polygon</a> by a function of the view angle in <a href="/facts/Tangent_space/crvpbSeG">tangent space</a> (the angle relative to the surface <a href="/facts/Normal_(geometry)/jhtLIhcu">normal</a>) and the value of the <a href="/facts/Height_map/EwXCqTY7">height map</a> at that point. At steeper view-angles, the texture coordinates are displaced more, giving the illusion of depth due to <a href="/facts/Parallax/Gu8W21LP">parallax</a> effects as the view changes. This effect is commonly used for rendering <a href="/facts/Window/d89WmHTN">windows</a> in order to fake 3D interiors for example.
Parallax mapping, as described by Kaneko et al., is a single step process that does not account for <a href="/facts/Occlusion_culling/hk9dqmDE">occlusion</a>. Subsequent enhancements have been made to the algorithm incorporating iterative approaches to allow for occlusion and accurate silhouette rendering.

Parallax mapping open-in-new

Parallax mapping